The present invention pertains generally to the field of plumbing hand tools. More particularly, the present invention provides a portable motorized tubing cutter for quickly and efficiently cutting off the ends of copper stub-outs, for example. The cutting tool of the present invention has a minimized working profile allowing the tool to be used in confined or tight spaces. The tool can also be used to cut tubing other than copper tubing.
Various cutting tools are known in the prior art for cutting copper and other tubing. Motorized cutting tools are known which are driveable by handheld drills, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,587. However, that cutting tool requires the user to tighten a knurled knob or head 18. Knob 18 extends radially away from the longitudinal axis of the tubing being cut. Such a tool is difficult to operate in tight and/or confined spaces such as beneath a bathroom sink or beneath a kitchen sink.
The prior art also includes various power driven handheld tubing cutters which extend radially outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the pipe a considerable distance to provide for either a power supply and/or a handhold for the user. Such devices include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,903,980; 6,202,307; 5,315,759 and 4,953,292.
There is clearly a need for tubing cutters with a minimized “working profile” to allow the cutter to operate in confined or tight spaces. This need increases as building square footage increases in cost and as plumbing lines must be placed closer to walls, fixtures and other plumbing lines.
The present invention satisfies the aforementioned need and provides a handheld motorized tubing cutter having a minimized “working profile.” The phrase “working profile,” as used herein, refers to the radially extending distance from the longitudinal axis of the tubing to be cut that is required to provide adequate clearance for the tool and/or the hands of the user operating the tool. The tool of the present invention provides a “working profile” that is less than half of the “working profile” required by other known motorized tubing cutters.
As described below, the present invention is a small, rugged, portable tubing cutter which is driveable by an ordinary handheld power drill. The cutter includes in a first embodiment a cutting head and a separate support cylinder. The support cylinder is directly connected to an ordinary handheld power drill. The cutting head, in the first embodiment, is a separate handheld tool built according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 13-15 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,980, which patent is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference as though set forth in full. The small handheld cutting head is opened and placed on the stub-out and then closed. The cylindrical housing of the present invention is then slid over the cutter head. A beveled surface inside the cylindrical housing grips the cutting head. The handheld drill is then actuated and the end of the copper stub-out is cut quickly and cleanly.
A primary object of the invention is to provide a reliable, sturdy and motorized tubing cutter having a minimized “working profile” for use in tight or confined spaces for cutting copper stub-outs and other tubing.
Another object of the invention is to provide a tubing cutter wherein the cutter is automatically aligned to produce a clean cut perpendicular to the axis of the pipe being cut and wherein the resulting cut is free of burrs.
Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and drawings wherein: